On Saturday 12 March 2011 09:00:03 [email protected] wrote: > As a 77 year old I have some idea of the needs. > > The most important need is some kind of community. As we age, the > chances of panic--what do I do now?--increase. Certainly at my age I > found contemporaries using Linux a rare commodity--"Computers for > Seniors" largely have no acquaintance or interest. > > I have used computers--as interest, but not professionally, and for > work--since CP/M days. Done one or two courses in e.g. C, but am no > expert. > > While attending SLUG my main complaint was lack of help. On this list > I got little response to questions (except from persons at my level, > who did not necessarily know either). I felt that unless one was a > professional, or training to be one, there was no support. A nooby, > at school--fine. Amateur with limited knowledge, or out of date > knowledge--no. OK--RTFM, but what if you cannot understand it? It > was more rewarding, after googling, to try foreign web sites. They > tended to be more sympathetic. > > I am now out of the country, have no community anywhere near, so am > totally dependent on such thing as Linux Format! I keep an eye on > this list for incidental news and sometimes useful knowledge. > > So the people referred to on the postings of this topic ate bloody > lucky! Community is all ..
Thanks for sharing that. I discovered a most amazing thing ... I went to the local library and used their terminal-system (which I have not done before). I play with linux machines all day, and have been using unix for 30 years, so I'm quiet and comfortable ... I entered a title to search for, the response was LOUD-BEEP! "DO NOT TOUCH THIS MACHINE. WE ARE WATCHING YOU. LEAVE NOW!" Distinct sensation on cheek and neck. Reason suppresses the body response. Gains much empathy with the general sentiments expressed by 77yo and others. In the end I did win, but I did learn stuff too :-), although I cannot see the solution. James -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
